


Doctor, Doctor

by Hayleekins



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Doctor Who References, F/M, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, there is some violence but nothing is explicitly discussed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 05:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9370628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hayleekins/pseuds/Hayleekins
Summary: It’s been years since Ladybug first became Ladybug, and a lot has changed for Marinette. One major change has been her growing friendship with one Adrien Agreste, the boy she used to be utterly infatuated with. But can one accident cause even bigger changes?





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm finally uploading this to AO3 after almost a month of posting it to tumblr! This is my ML secret santa present to @atimelordswife on tumblr. I enjoyed writing this soooo much, especially incorporating a few doctor who jokes along the way. Hope everyone enjoys!

“I can’t believe you Adrien! How could you do this to me? I’m just… I feel so betrayed!”

“Aww Mari come on,” Adrien whined, reaching out to put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s not that big of a deal!”

“Not, not that big of a deal?!” Marinette shouted aghast. She pushed Adrien’s hand off of her shoulder, turning away from him with a huff. “How could you say that? I trusted you!”

“Mari,” Adrien whined again, attempting to turn the girl in question around to face him. She stubbornly refused to look at him. “All I said was that I prefer Donna over Amy…”

“Exactly!” Marinette shouted as she whirled around, smacking him playfully on the shoulder before dramatically throwing her hands up, covering her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to look at him. “Amy is badass.”

“She is, I just understood Donna more, I found her more relatable. Don’t you remember one of the last scenes with Donna? When the Doctor is talking about how Donna was the most important person in the world, and her mother snaps back, ‘ _she still is’_ and the Doctor, without missing a beat, snaps back with ‘ _well, maybe you should tell her that more often_ ’. It’s iconic!” Marinette was quiet for a minute, pouting while she thought of a comeback. Her heart went out to Adrien and how he really seemed to relate to that scene…

“Well if it wasn’t for Amy, we wouldn’t have gotten the Van Gogh scene.”

“Well then maybe it would have saved me from _bawling my eyes out_!” Adrien grumbled. Marinette had to agree on the tearjerker fact. “The tears simply would not Gogh away!” Marinette rolled her eyes at the stupid pun.

“At least those were good tears. Amy helped him see real value in himself. If you want to talk about bawling your eyes out, we can talk about Doomsday.”

“ **We don’t talk about Doomsday.** ” Adrien said vehemently, and Marinette couldn’t help but giggle.

“’ _I… I love you_ ’” Marinette quoted the line in English, trying to imitate one of her favourite British character’s voice. She lowered her voice an octave, trying to sound more masculine as she continued. “’ _Quite right too. And I suppose…_ ’”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng you need to stop that right this instant!” Adrien spoke over top of her, trying to drown her out. Marinette just grinned wickedly, raising her voice above his.

“’ _If it’s my last chance to say it… Rose Tyler…_ ’”

“ _Noooooo_!” Adrien slumped in his seat, defeated. Marinette couldn’t control her laughter any longer, as the giggles burst through her lips. She cackled at Adrien’s pouting face until she was doubled over in laughter. The Gorilla looked at them through the rear-view mirror with a small smile.

“There, there,” Marinette said, patting his shoulder after she managed to sober herself up. “We all know she came back to her Doctor in the end. I mean, it only ends in more heartbreak if you consider how the Doctor had to give up his love in order to make her happy… But at least he knows she came back for him once.”

“I invite you to the movies, I take you in _my car_ , and _this_ is how you treat me?” Adrien whined, throwing a hand over his face in dramatic woe.

“Technically I invited you to the movies. But continue being dramatic, please.” Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics.

“We’ll be arriving at the theatre in five minutes.” The Gorilla announced as they rounded a corner, and Marinette thanked him with a smile. The two teens settled in a comfortable silence as Marinette got lost in her thoughts. She leaned her head against the cool glass of the limo’s window, watching as the world passed by them. There was the billboard featuring a picture of Paris’ famed super duo, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Marinette smiled fondly at the picture. It had been three years since Marinette first became Ladybug, and even after all this time it was still a little mind blowing that she, plain old Marinette, was one of Paris’ superstars.

A lot had changed in three years though. It had taken a long time for Marinette to see herself as Ladybug, both inside of the suit and out. Confidence wasn’t her strong suit unless she was _wearing_ her strong suit, and so the process had taken longer than it should have. Some days it’s harder than others, but she’s working on it. Her partnership with Chat Noir had only grown stronger with time, although she knew how much he longed to reveal their identities. His patience and understanding of Marinette’s wishes was one of the things that she admired about him so much though. He really was her best friend.

Although, her friend group had recently expanded to include another blonde boy. Marinette looked over at Adrien, who was looking out the window apparently lost in thought as well. Her crush on the model had mellowed down some in the last few years, especially after finding out that Adrien was in love with someone else. Her feelings for him didn’t disappear overnight, nor had they ever really left. Staring at him now, watching the way the sun caused his golden locks to glimmer, she couldn’t help the way her heart thudded in her chest. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it used to be. She had made the mature, adult decision to stop being infatuated with him, and learn to be his friend instead. She didn’t need to be romantically involved with him to love him, and she was happy to love him as a friend if it meant she could still love him. And boy, did that boy ever need love.

When Marinette first noticed just how cold and empty the Agreste mansion was, when she first noticed how empty Adrien’s “model smile” was, she resolved that she was going to do everything in her power to bring a little brightness, a little laughter, and a little more love into Adrien Agreste’s life. It had taken them a while to get to where they were now, a lot of awkward hand outs and silences that seemed to stretch on for too long. It still brought a small smile to her face to see how far they had come. Here they are now, on their way to Action Christine theatre to see a movie together, alone, just the two of them. And they spent the majority of the car ride laughing and making Doctor Who jokes. Marinette wondered vaguely how her 15-year-old self would react if she heard this was how she’d one day spend an afternoon. The poor girl would probably have had an aneurysm. _Just imagine how your best self would react if you told her you literally just said “I love you” to Adrien Agreste._ She shook her head at her past self, simultaneously amused and embarrassed.

“You know what I never thought about?” Adrien said suddenly, pulling Marinette out of her own head. “Can weeping angels transport any entity back in time, or is it only restricted to humans? I mean, theoretically, could an angel touch a Dalek and suddenly it’d be transported to 18th century England? Can you imagine the paradoxes that could create?”

“Oh no, please do not start looking for potential paradoxes that Doctor Who plotlines could create. We will literally be here all day trying to think of all of them, and then we would have missed the entire show.”

“No but just _think_ abou-” Adrien cut off abruptly, his face darkening with absolute horror. His mouth gaped open, whatever he had been about to say long forgotten.

Marinette whipped her head around just in time to see the gigantic sledgehammer hurdling directly towards the limousine. Three things happened in the short span of time before certain impact; 1) Adrien screamed a panicked "watch out!" to Marinette, to the Gorilla, to anyone who could help, 2) the Gorilla swore loudly before attempting to swerve out of the way, and 3) Marinette had the realization that in her rush to get into the limo and to the cinema in time for the movie, that she had forgotten to buckle her seatbelt.

There was an eruption of sound as the sledgehammer connected with the side of the car, hurling it through the air before it landed on the ground with a sickening crunch.

 

* * *

 

Everything was happening agonisingly slow, while simultaneously indescribably fast. Marinette turned her head in time to see the sledge hammer as it was taking its path directly for their vehicle. There was no possible way to avoid collision. Its destination was already determined, and yet it seemed like it took an eternity for the contact. Yet there was no time to move, no time to reach over and fasten her seatbelt, no time to even brace herself for impact.

The hammer made hit the limo with the kind of force that only an akuma could possess. Suddenly everything was moving in hyper speed once more. Marinette felt herself lift off the seat before her head collided with something hard and everything went black.

 

Everything was too loud, too bright. Colours swarmed as she blinked her eyes once, twice, three times. She couldn’t move her head as her eyes were forced open wider, a blinding white light causing shooting pain in her head. The same thing was repeated with the other eye. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Everything went black again.

 

Why was everything so loud? Voices swarmed over each other, overlapping until nothing made sense. It made her head hurt more. Why wouldn’t they stop talking? A blinding pain shot up her right leg that caused her to scream out in pain. A blurry face came into view, and Marinette saw her lips moving. She couldn’t make out what the woman was saying. Everything went dark.

 

Her ears were ringing. It was a dizzying feeling. She was disoriented, she felt nauseous. Where was she? What was going on? Why did everything hurt so much? She looked around to try and get someone’s attention, but it only made her head spin more. She tried to tell someone that she was scared. She just needed to know what was going on. She just needed someone to hold her hand and tell her everything was okay… She just needed… just needed…

 

She needed to see. She blinked the darkness away and tried to ignore the pounding in her head. Why wouldn’t it go away? Where was she? She looked down at herself, at her stomach and her leg and wondered when she started wearing red. Her eyes couldn’t focus properly and she couldn’t lift her head, but she definitely saw red. She only wore red when she was Ladybug… was she Ladybug right now? She couldn’t remember. But… there was an akuma right? She, she needed to transform. She tried to shout out to someone, anyone, that she needed to get out, she needed to fight the akuma. But when she opened her mouth all that came out was a wet cough. And that was the last thing she remembered.

 

* * *

 

"Come on, come on, come on," Chat Noir muttered under his breath, taking a running leap at the akuma in front of him. He quickly dodged a swipe of the giant magical sledgehammer, painfully aware of the damage it could do. Chat lunged at the akumitized victim, someone who Chat could only assume was a construction worker in real life. The man, if you could even call him a man at this point, was three times the size of a regular man, and wielded the magical hammer better than a demigod. His outfit was a sleek blue body suit with a bright orange vest and construction hat. The akuma called himself HammerHead, and Chat could probably have come up with some pretty decent tool jokes if this was a normal situation. As it was, this was no normal akuma attack. He could still feel the effects of the car accident on his civilian self, making his chest ache and his legs quiver beneath him when he stopped to think about it. But honestly, he had faired out the best in that situation… If only Ladybug would get there already! Then everything would be okay, and Marinette…

Well, he couldn’t think about her right now. He had a job to do and he couldn’t afford to be distracted by the fate of his friend. When Ladybug showed up, they would finish off the akuma and everything would be okay. But until then, he had to hold off this akuma and make sure no one else got hurt.

He quickly dodged another blow, trying to come up with a plan of attack. As the minutes passed by, Ladybug's absence became more and more pronounced. Where was his lady? She was _never_ this late! She was always there to save the day. Where was she now, when he needed her the most? When _Marinette_ needed her? As hard as he tried to ignore it, Chat couldn’t help but remember the way Marinette looked when they were rescued from the wreckage. The akuma’s hammer had hit her side of the car, and it… it didn’t look good. Why hadn’t he noticed she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt?! He hadn’t wanted to leave her side, but he knew it was an akuma which caused this accident, meaning Chat Noir was needed more than Adrien was. He only managed to slip away from the paramedics when a rush of scared civilians stampeded by, fleeing from HammerHead and his giant magical hammer.

“Come on out Kitty Cat! Time to play!” A booming voice shook Chat from his memories. He barely jumped out of the way in time as the sledge hammer went barreling past him. He cursed under his breath, scanning the skyline quickly for any sign of Ladybug. What could be keeping her away? It wasn’t like HammerHead wasn’t making enough noise, and Chat had already seen Nadja Chamack and her camera crew recording footage for the news broadcast. She had to have seen the attack by now… So why wasn’t she here? He thought briefly of Marinette, and wondered if perhaps his lady had also been injured in the attack… That would certainly explain her absence. Dread and horror caused his stomach to tie itself in knots. Ladybug couldn’t be injured. She wasn’t supposed to be the one to take the hits, that was Chat’s job. And if she got hurt, that would be two of his best friends who took the hit instead of him. The thought was enough to make Chat feel sick.

He shook his head, trying to force the thoughts out of his head. There was no use in worrying about potential situations when he had his own situation to deal with. He just needed to find the akumitized item. He was fairly certain it was in the purple hard hat that sat atop the giants head, and Chat quickly thought up a way to get it... but even then, it would be no use without Ladybug. He found himself searching the skyline again. Where was his lady?!

 

* * *

 

God it felt like the fight went on for hours. The fact that his transformation held was proof that it had only been a matter of minutes, despite how it felt like he spent the whole day fighting this behemoth of a man. And still, there was no sign of Ladybug. He had even tried calling her through his baton, but nothing had been successful. Chat was past the point of frustration at this point, and he was exhausted. His thoughts kept straying to Marinette. He hated not knowing if she was okay. And if Ladybug didn't show up soon... well, he had no idea if her powers could bring back the dea-

He fought the thought off. He couldn't think about it, couldn't even think that damned word. Marinette would be fine. Marinette will be fine. He repeated it to himself like the chorus of his favourite song, hoping if he said it enough he would actually believe it himself.

It didn’t help that Ladybug still wasn’t here. It was just another person for him to worry about, to fret about losing too. Every time he forced himself to stop worrying about Marinette, worry for Ladybug crept in instead.

He had enough. He saw the golden opportunity and he took the leap. HammerHead was chasing him through the streets of Paris, and if Chat times it just right... He rounded the next corner as fast as he could, the wheels of a plan forming in his head. He counted to three, hearing the large footsteps of the giant coming closer.

"Cataclysm!" He shouted, putting all of his hope into his signature move. He ran his hand along the edge of the building, and watching with satisfaction as his plan worked perfectly. The building crumbled at the right moment, trapping HammerHead in the pile of rubble. Chat moved quickly, hoping that the pile of rubble would contain the giant, or at least prohibit him from commanding his sledge hammer to pummel the superhero. Jumping onto the pile of bricks, Chat spotted the orange hard hat amongst the bricks and swiped it off of the man’s head.

He held it in his hands, suddenly unsure. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He had been hoping that Ladybug would have finally shown up by now, but there was still no sign of her. What was he supposed to do with the akuma? No one but Ladybug had the power to cleanse them. As he stood there debating what to do, his ring beeped once to warn him of his limited timeline. He cursed the predicament he was in.

Could he just leave Hammerhead partially buried here, and hope that the man would be contained for long enough to recharge and search for Ladybug? His thoughts shot to Marinette and her unknown fate… Would it be selfish of him to take time to find out how she was doing? The twisting in his stomach confirmed that regardless of how selfish it might have seemed, he had to go see Marinette. Just to make sure she was okay, and then he would search for Ladybug.

Chat unhooked his baton and extended it, ignoring the angered roaring of HammerHead from the ground. Instead, with akumitized hardhat tucked under his arm, Chat Noir bounded away from the scene to try and find some place to de-transform. He had a pig-tailed girl to locate… Well technically, he had two, but Marinette took priority in his mind.

 

* * *

 

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. When that didn't work, he tried taking a few more, but it still wouldn't quell his nerves. He was supposed to look for Ladybug; that would have been the smart, responsible thing to do. But now that there wasn’t a giant construction worker with an oversized sledge hammer to fight, Adrien knew there was no way he could leave without finding out the fate of Marinette. Ladybug wasn't around and there was no way to set everything right again, so his fear and nerves were skyrocketing. What if she was in pain? What if she was still unconscious? What if she was never going to wake up ever again?

Okay, that train of thought was definitely not going to help him calm down. So he de-transformed. Fishing his phone from his pocket, he tried to remember which hospital they would have taken Marinette to. He procured a wrapped piece of camembert from his pocket as well, handing it to Plagg, who was uncharacteristically quiet. Glancing at his phone, he noticed the ten missed calls. He scanned the names, hoping against hope that Marinette’s name would be among the contacts. Six from Nathalie, three from Nino, and one from Alya. His stomach sank. He debated who to call back first; Nathalie would no doubt be worried about him, wondering where the hell he had disappeared to. She’d definitely know what hospital Marinette, and likely the Gorilla, had been brought to. But then he’d have to go through a huge lecture and be dragged to a doctor to get himself checked over before he was allowed to see Marinette. Nino on the other hand, would also be worried as hell but would generally spare him the lecture. The chance of him knowing Marinette’s location was slim though. That left Alya, the woman who would know where her best friend was located 24/7. He doubted there was any time when Alya didn’t know where Marinette was.

He pressed redial and waited with a restricted chest as the phone rang. Alya picked up on the third ring and exploded in his ear. He forgot that Alya would want every possible detail from him, and he inwardly cringed.

“Hey Alya,” He barely got the words out before the fiery girl was talking over him.

“Adrien! Everyone’s been worried sick about you! What happened? Where are you now? Are you okay, are you hurt? We all heard about the accident and when no one could find you, we were all worried something horrible had happened to you! Nino and I had searched for you until that akuma forced us back. Where are you?!”

“Alya slow down!” Adrien said, feeling the guilt eat away at him. He hated making his friends worry, but there was no way he could explain where he really was… “I need to find Marinette, do you know what hospital she’s at? I’ll explain everything to you later, but I just… I need to see Marinette.”

“Adrien,” Alya paused, and Adrien knew it wasn’t a good sign. He instinctively clung to the construction hat in his hands, before realizing the potential issues there. He couldn’t break the akumitized item yet… “It’s about Marinette. I haven’t been able to get much information from anyone, they’re so tight-lipped about everything. She’s at Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu. Nino and I are here, we’ve been trying to get a hold of her parents. Tom and Sabine should be here shortly.”

“I’m on my way.” He disconnected the call immediately, already looking up the hospital’s address on his GPS. His fight with HammerHead had brought him to the Fountaine Saint-Michel, meaning that it would take him about six minutes if he walked. He briefly considered transforming again just to get there faster…

“Kid, you gotta calm down,” Plagg said quietly, hovering about eyelevel with Adrien. The kwami was looking strangely serious, obviously concerned for his chosen. “Everything’s going to be okay. Ladybug can fix this-”

“Ladybug isn’t here Plagg! Don’t you get it?” How could he explain it to his kwami without making himself feel worse? “If Ladybug is hurt, if she had gotten injured in the akuma attack without me being there to help her, it would be all my fault Plagg. And as if that isn’t bad enough as it is, without Ladybug, there are no curative powers to fix Marinette…” That was when it hit him. Marinette and Ladybug. Both of them could be potentially hurt right now… He could lose both of them in one day.

Stashing Plagg into his shirt pocket, Adrien took off at a run, determined to make it to Hôtel-Dieu in less than five minutes. His heart pounded along with every step, and he pushed himself to run faster, as if he could outrun his doubts and fears. He knew he was getting closer as Notre Dame came into view, and before he knew it he was skidding to a halt in front of the main doors. Adrien’s breath came out in huffs as he struggled to catch his breath. He had almost forgotten about the effects the car accident had placed on him in his rush to find Marinette, but now that he stopped running he could feel the pangs of pain in his ribs, and the dull throb of pain from his left leg.

He ignored it as he pushed through the front doors and made his way to the front desk. He promised himself he’d get looked at right after he saw Marinette, and after searching for Ladybug. The woman behind the front desk looked over her half-moon glasses at him, taking in his disheveled appearance and giving him a look that made Adrien feel exposed. She raised an eyebrow at the construction hat that was tucked under his arm, but didn’t question it.

“I’m looking… For Marinette… Dupain-Cheng’s room.” He huffed, still trying to catch his breath. “I’m her friend, I really need to see her, and I need to know how she is.” The woman behind the desk examined him with her x-ray eyes again before tapping something out on her keyboard. After a few more minutes of waiting, Adrien was finally given Marinette’s room number. He hurriedly thanked the woman before rushing off to find her room.

When he got there, he was met with an anxious Alya and Nino. They were pacing outside of Marinette’s room, clearly waiting for Adrien. As soon as he rounded the corner both teens stopped pacing and enveloped him. Nino was hugging him first, Alya joining into the group huddle.

“Dude, I was so worried,” Nino said softly, prompting Adrien to wrap his one arm around his best bud and squeezing. When Nino returned the pressure, Adrien had to stop himself from gasping out in pain. Instead he detangled himself from his friends, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’m really sorry guys, I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m fine, I was just… delayed by the akuma attack. It was safer for me to find somewhere to hide and lay low until the fight was over.” Alya opened her mouth to say something, but Adrien held up a hand. “Please, we can talk more about this later. I need to see Marinette. How is she?”

"She just got out of surgery," Alya said, wrapping her arms around herself. She shuddered at the word surgery. "She was in pretty rough shape when she got here, but the doctor’s say that she’s supposed to make a full recovery."

The words were like sweet mercy to his ears. He felt the tears well up just at the thought of her being okay. The word surgery had sent a shiver up his spine anyways, and he cursed that something like this should happen to sweet little Marinette.

"Can I see her?" He implored, his heart squeezing with the realization of how desperately he needed to see her. He had to witness it himself, he needed to see she was okay and alive and...

“She’s not awake yet. There’s a doctor in with her now, but they said we’ll be able to go back in after they’re through with their follow up stuff.” Adrien nodded absently. The three of them lapsed into silence as they waited for the doctor to meet with them. After what seemed like far too long, the door to Marinette’s room opened, and a woman emerged with a clipboard.

“You may visit with Miss Dupain-Cheng now,” The woman said as the door clicked softly behind her. "She should be waking up soon," She continued, checking the clipboard in her hand. "The anesthetic should be wearing off soon. There's no telling when exactly she'll wake up though." Adrien nodded in understanding, and the doctor excused herself.

Adrien, Alya and Nino proceeded into the room. Alya and Nino had been there earlier, had already seen the way Marinette looked lying unconscious in that bed. It was all a shock for Adrien. As soon as his eyes landed on her, the tears fell. He couldn't hold on to them anymore. He couldn't even tell you why he was crying anymore; was it relief that one of his best friends was okay after all? Was it the pang of heartache at how tiny and frail she looked in the giant white bed, her face and arms visibly bruised? Was it the pain of seeing all the tubes and wires that were attached to the sweet young girl, monitoring every heartbeat in case something went wrong? Whatever the reason behind it, he couldn't help the tears that fell.

Nino reached out for Adrien, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder, but Alya cut in. “Maybe we should give Adrien a little time to process what’s going on… Come on Nino, we have to go meet Marinette’s parents soon anyways…” Nino agreed reluctantly, but Adrien was somewhat glad to be alone. He set the akumitized construction hat on the table beside Marinette’s bed, almost forgetting he still had it, before collapsing in a seat beside her bed, taking one of her hands in his.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He breathed, pressing her hand to his mouth, peppering it with kisses. "I was so afraid... I thought I lost you too..."

 

* * *

 

Adrien wasn't sure how long he sat there, just holding her hand. The seconds ticked by on a clock somewhere, but Adrien couldn't be bothered to check. He was too focused on the girl in front of him. After what seemed like forever, he finally saw her stir.

She wrinkled her nose in that cute way of hers, like she usually does when she's deep in thought. She mumbled out something that Adrien couldn't quite make out, so he leaned in closer.

"... ikkkkkiii.... trsferrrm.... we need.... tikkkk... spotssss..." Her mumbling became louder as she fought for consciousness. Adrien was alarmed at the way she thrashed out, afraid she'd end up unhooking something from a machine. He had half a mind to call out for a nurse when her eyes shot open.

"Tikki!! We, we need to transform!" She called out, attempting to sit up.

"Marinette, please calm down!" Adrien pleaded, jumping to his feet. He really probably should call a nurse...

"...Adrien?" Marinette's wide blue eyes stared at him in confusion, and he saw with relief that she stopped trying to sit up. He watched her wince as the pain settled in. "What... what happened?"

"There was an accident Marinette. I'm so sorry, I wish this had never happened to you." Adrien sat down again, taking one of her hands in his again. "There was an akuma. The car was hit before we knew what to do. You were hurt the worst, and I... I was so scared. The doctors said that you're doing better now."

He watched as Marinette processed this information. There was a crease between her brows, and her eyes held confusion. "So... what happened to the akuma?"

"What?" Adrien was a little surprised that that was all she took out of his speech.

"Well you said that there _was_ an akuma. What happened?"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir took care of it," he said softly. He was overtaken with fondness towards Marinette. Even in her state, she was more concerned about others. It was sweet.

"But... that's impossible." She sounded incredibly certain, which triggered something in Adrien's memory. Something she had said...

The pieces clicked into place alarmingly fast. Didn't Ladybug once tell him that her kwami's name is Tikki? Didn't Marinette just call out that name, demanding to be transformed? And what is the coincidence that the onetime Ladybug doesn't show up on the scene of an akuma attack, Marinette is undergoing surgery... Could it be? Could it really, truly be?

"Well, Ladybug missed out on the action," he said softly, sincerely hoping that he wasn't wrong. As he spoke though, he had a feeling in his gut that he wasn't wrong at all. "I definitely missed her today. It would have been a lot easier beating that akuma with her help..." He spoke slowly, holding Marinette’s eye contact the whole time. He watched as realization slowly dawned on her.

"I'm just really glad that Ladybug’s okay now," he continued, pulling Marinette's hand up to his lips, pressing them against the back of her hand. "I don't know what I'd do without my lady.”

 

* * *

 

“A nice cup of cocoa for my lady,” Adrien said, handing the still hot cup to his best friend. “Careful, your maman said if we spill them, she won’t make us anymore.” Marinette giggled softly, gingerly accepting the cup from Adrien. She blew across the top of the cocoa, attempting to cool it down enough to sip.

“Dually noted,” She hummed, taking a small sip. She winced as the steaming hot liquid seared her tongue.

“Be careful princess, it’s still too hot.” Adrien said, a crease forming in his brow. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him before chancing another sip. She didn’t care how hot it was, cocoa was best when it was still steaming.

“You worry too much kitty,” She said as she pulled him closer. It was two weeks since the accident, and Marinette was healing slowly but surely. She had been released from the hospital after a couple of days, and her parents had set up a makeshift bed in the living room for her. The doctor advised against climbing too many stairs, both for the sake of her stitches and her broken leg. The bed was comfy enough, but Marinette couldn’t wait to get the cast removed and finally get to go back to her own room. There was one plus side to having a bed downstairs though…

“I worry just the right amount, thank you very much.” Adrien said, booping her lightly on the nose. Marinette shimmied over so that there was room for Adrien to sit beside her, and patted the cushion. Normally, her parents would never be okay with Marinette and a boy sharing a bed, no matter how casual it was. But with the mattress lying out in the open, they were much more comfortable with Adrien snuggling beside their daughter.

They sat together in silence, watching a news report playing on the screen as they sipped their cocoa. Nadja Chamack was standing in front of a pile of concrete, holding the still akumitized HammerHead inside. The words _Akuma Threat Contained Until Ladybug and Chat Noir Return_ were bolded on the bottom of the screen, and Marinette heaved a sigh _._ She opened her mouth to say something, but Adrien was talking before she had the chance.

“Don’t even say it LB,” He said, rubbing comforting circles on Marinette’s back. “There’s nothing we can do about it right now. The press conference yesterday went fine, everyone understands that you’re out of commission for a while. Once you’re able to transform again, we’ll set everything straight.”

She couldn’t say anything, her throat was too constricted to get any words out. She nodded instead, resting her head on his shoulder to show her appreciation. They settled back into silence as the news broadcast continued in the background. Marinette passed Adrien a plate of cookies that her maman had set out for them earlier, and they nibbled on those as well. As she drained the remainder of her cocoa, Marinette found it increasingly difficult to stifle her yawns. Adrien had noticed of course, and gathered up their mugs and plates to be brought to the kitchen.

“Ready for a nap yet?” He asked, grabbing another blanket off of the couch.

“Not yet. Can you stay for a while?”

“Anything for you, my lady.” He said softly, settling next to the girl once more. “Want to watch something else?” He asked, gesturing to the television set across from them. Marinette considered it for a moment before a small grin broke out on her face.

“I bet I can quote more lines from Doctor Who than you can,” She challenged, pointing to the season box sets that were on the small table beside the television.

“Oh you are so on,” He said with a grin, moving to grab the DVDs.

“Get ready to have your butt kicked, _chaton_.” Marinette said, smiling as the first episode of season one flashed on the screen. Adrien settled back down next to her, and Marinette decided there was no other place she’d like to be than cuddling with her partner, watching their favourite television show while swaddled in blankets.


End file.
